Sunday River Resort to invest $2.1M in new chairlift

Sunday River Resort announced this week that it plans to break ground next month on a new $2.1 million, three-passenger chairlift.

Sunday River Resort plans to break ground next month on a new $2.1 million, three-passenger chairlift.

The last time Sunday River installed a new chairlift was in 2008 after the resort joined parent company Boyne Resorts.

The estimated construction timeline for the new chairlift is six months and it is expected to be completed by the start of the resort's 2017-18 winter season.

Manufactured by Doppelmayr USA Inc., the three-passenger fixed grip chairlift will be built in the same location as the resort's original Spruce Peak Triple chairlift and will use a conveyor system to help load passengers onto each chair, the resort stated in a news release.

Spanning 4,184 feet, the new Spruce Peak Triple will rise 1,207 vertical feet from the base of the resort's Spruce Peak to the summit. One hundred and forty-five chairs will carry up to 1,480 guests per hour at a rate of 500 feet per minute. The chairlift's modern technology will shorten guest's ride time by approximately one-third — from 11 minutes to eight minutes — and provide an overall more comfortable and efficient experience.

"We are thrilled to announce this capital project with parent company Boyne Resorts on the heels of welcoming in our new financial partner, Och-Ziff Capital Management Group," Dana Bullen, resort president and general manager of Sunday River Resort, said in the release.

Boyne Resorts purchased the resort in 2008, Sunday River has benefited from over $50 million in capital investments, including the new Spruce Peak Triple and Chondola, as well as yearly snowmaking, grooming and chairlift enhancements, and renovations to its base lodges and accommodations.

Sunday River is the third-largest ski resort in New England with eight interconnected mountain peaks, 15 chairlifts, four lodges, two hotels and one inn and ski dorm.